Wireless interference mitigation

ABSTRACT

Mitigating interference in a mobile wireless communication device by using an estimation of the performance impact of interfering signals generated by a wireless cellular transmitter and received by a co-located wireless local area network receiver. Wireless local area network frequency band usage is modified based on the performance impact estimation and the state of the wireless cellular and wireless local area network connections. The estimation accounts for properties of the wireless cellular transmitter and wireless local area network receiver as well as operational characteristics of the wireless cellular and wireless local area network connections.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is related to co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. ______ (APL1P665/P9028US1) entitled “WIRELESS INTERFERENCEMITIGATION” by Indranil Sen, filed concurrently herewith.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The described embodiments relate generally to wireless mobilecommunications. More particularly, a method is described for mitigatinginterference between two or more wireless transceivers in a mobilewireless communication device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Mobile wireless communication devices, such as a wireless cellulartelephone or a wireless enabled computer tablet, can provide a widevariety of communication services including, for example, voicecommunication, text messaging, internet browsing, and audio/videostreaming. Different communication services on mobile wirelesscommunication devices can use one or more different communicationprotocols that transmit and receive in separate or overlapping bands ofradio frequency spectrum. Different bands of radio frequency spectrumare allocated for different services, some strictly licensed toparticular wireless operators, while other frequency bands can be openfor shared common use. Ideally transmissions in one frequency band donot interfere with the reception of transmissions in another frequencyband; however, the advent of mobile wireless communication devices thatinclude multiple wireless transceivers, each configured to operate witha different communication protocol and placed in relatively closeproximity to each other in the mobile wireless communication device canresult in interference between them.

Mobile wireless communication devices offer short range connections towireless accessory devices, medium range connections to wireless networkaccess points, and long range connections to cell towers, therebyproviding flexibility and near ubiquity for connecting a user to a widearray of communication services. For example, voice communications canbe realized over a 3G communication link using a global system formobile communications (GSM) protocol or using a voice over internetprotocol (VoIP) packet protocol through a wireless local area networkconnection. Some mobile wireless communication devices can supportseamlessly transferring a communication link between connections thatuse different protocols. Several national and international standardsorganizations develop and specify communication protocols that canenable consistent performance and compatibility between productsprovided by different manufacturers. While each communication protocolcan require that transmissions by mobile wireless communications devicesusing the protocol be restricted to not transmit above a defined powerspectral density mask, i.e. keep radiated transmit power below certainlevels across different radio frequency bands, current mobile wirelesscommunication devices include receivers capable of detecting radiofrequency signals at very low power levels. With a relatively high powertransmitter located close to a sensitive receiver in the same mobilewireless communication device, providing adequate isolation between themcan prove quite challenging.

Isolation between a transmitter and a receiver co-located in the samemobile wireless communication device can use specific antenna design,shielding, filtering and placement to minimize receiving interferingradio frequency power in one receiving antenna from another transmittingantenna. Current mobile wireless communication devices can be quitecompact in size, and the maximum physical distance possible on suchsmall devices between a transmitter and receiver can limit the amount ofradiated radio frequency power loss resulting from antenna placement.Thus there exists a need for a method to mitigate interference betweenradio frequency transceivers placed in the same mobile wirelesscommunications device.

SUMMARY OF THE DESCRIBED EMBODIMENTS

This paper describes various embodiments that relate to methods tomitigate interference between different transceivers in a mobilewireless communication device. A method to reduce interference between afirst transmitter and a second receiver in a mobile wirelesscommunication device based on estimating interference into the secondreceiver and coordinating transmissions by the first transmitter isdescribed.

In one embodiment a method of mitigating interference in a mobilewireless communication device includes at least the following steps. Aperformance impact to signals received by a first transceiver through awireless local area network connection due to interference from signalstransmitted by a second transceiver over a wireless cellular connectionis estimated. The first and second transceivers are co-located in themobile wireless communication device. The wireless local area networkconnection is changed to use a second frequency band based on theperformance impact estimation. The estimation of the performance impactof interference between the first and second transceivers isperiodically repeated while the wireless local area network connectionand wireless cellular connection are active. In a representativeembodiment, the estimation accounts for properties of the transmitter ofthe wireless cellular connection and the receiver of the wireless localarea network connection as well as operational characteristics of thewireless cellular and wireless local area network connections.

In another embodiment, a mobile wireless communication device comprisesa first transceiver that receives signals through a wireless local areanetwork connection, a second transceiver that transmits signals througha wireless cellular connection, and a control processor coupled to thefirst and second transceivers. The control processor mitigatesinterference in the mobile wireless communication device. The controlprocessor estimates the performance impact of signals received by thefirst transceiver from signals transmitted by the second transceiver.The control processor changes the wireless local area network connectionto not use a portion of a first frequency band based on the performanceimpact estimation. The estimation and change of frequency band usage isrepeated periodically. In a representative embodiment, the estimationaccounts for properties of the transmitter of the wireless cellularconnection and the receiver of the wireless local area networkconnection as well as operational characteristics of the wirelesscellular and wireless local area network connections

In yet another embodiment, a computer readable medium for tangiblystoring computer program code executable by a processor for mitigatinginterference in a mobile wireless communication device is described. Thecomputer readable medium includes computer program code for estimating aperformance impact to signals received by a first transceiver of themobile wireless communication device through a wireless local areanetwork connection by signals transmitted by a second transceiver of themobile wireless communication device through a wireless cellularconnection. The computer readable medium further includes computerprogram code for changing the wireless local area network connection touse a second frequency band based on the performance impact estimation.The computer readable medium also includes computer program code forperiodically repeating the estimating the performance impact andchanging the wireless local area network connection while the wirelesslocal area network and wireless cellular connections are active.

In still another embodiment, an apparatus for mitigating interference ina mobile wireless communication device is described. The apparatus caninclude at least means for estimating a performance impact to signalsreceived in a first frequency band by a first transceiver of the mobilewireless communication device through a wireless local area networkconnection with a first wireless local area network partner device fromsignals transmitted by a second transceiver of the mobile wirelesscommunication device through a wireless cellular connection, means forchanging the wireless local area network connection to use a secondfrequency band based on the performance impact estimation, and means forperiodically the estimating and changing while the wireless local areanetwork and wireless cellular connections are active.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention and the advantages thereof may best be understood byreference to the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a mobile wireless communication device that includesmultiple radio frequency transceivers.

FIG. 2 illustrates radio frequency band allocations used for severaldifferent standardized wireless communication protocols.

FIG. 3 illustrates higher order harmonic radio frequency interferencefrom lower radio frequency bands of wireless cellular mobiletransmissions into higher radio frequency bands used by Bluetooth andwireless local area network receivers.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate representative radio frequency interferencebetween a mobile wireless cellular communication transmitter and one ormore Bluetooth and wireless local area network receivers.

FIG. 6 illustrates two representative mobile wireless communicationdevices connected simultaneously to several wireless systems that usedifferent wireless communication protocols.

FIG. 7 illustrates a representative method to mitigate interferencebetween a transmitter and a receiver that each use different wirelesscommunication protocols in different radio frequency bands co-located inthe same mobile wireless communication device.

FIG. 8 illustrates a representative method to mitigate interferencebetween a wireless cellular transmitter and a Bluetooth receiver in amobile wireless communication device.

FIG. 9 illustrates a representative method to mitigate interferencebetween a wireless cellular transmitter and a wireless local areanetwork receiver in a mobile wireless communication device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth toprovide a thorough understanding of the concepts underlying thedescribed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled inthe art that the described embodiments may be practiced without some orall of these specific details. In other instances, well known processsteps have not been described in detail in order to avoid unnecessarilyobscuring the underlying concepts.

Mobile wireless communication devices, such as a wireless cellulartelephone or a wireless enabled tablet computer, can provide a widearray of communication services including, for example, voicecommunication, text messaging, internet browsing, and audio/videostreaming. Different communication services offered on mobile wirelesscommunication devices can use one or more different communicationprotocols that transmit and receive in separate or overlapping bands ofradio frequency spectrum. Contemporary mobile wireless communicationdevices can operate using several different radio frequency transmittersand receivers simultaneously, each transmitter potentially interferingwith one or more of the receivers. The performance of an individualradio frequency receiver, as measured by its data rate throughput or itspacket error rate, can be degraded due to interference from a co-locatedtransmitter that outputs radio frequency power in the same (in-band) ordifferent (out-of-band) radio frequency bands in which the radiofrequency receiver can operate. Current mobile wireless communicationdevices can utilize multiple radio frequency transceivers (transmitterand receiver pairs) situated in close physical proximity in the device,and limitations on the form factor for these mobile wirelesscommunication devices can limit the amount of isolation achievablebetween different radio frequency transceivers. Thus, optimal systemperformance of radio frequency reception in a mobile wirelesscommunication device can depend on intelligent interference detectionand coordinated radio frequency spectrum management between the multipleradio frequency transceivers.

Mobile wireless communication devices can include control blocks thatmonitor and assess the operational states of different wirelesscommunication transceivers contained therein. When two or more wirelesscommunication transceivers are active simultaneously, whethertransmitting or receiving, the control block can determine whether onetransceiver's radiated output power can interfere with a secondtransceiver's reception and decoding of data. An estimation of theperformance impact of interference between transceivers in the mobilewireless communication device can depend on static parameters, such asknowledge of placement and design of the physical components used forradio transmission and reception in the mobile wireless communicationdevice. The estimation can also depend on operational characteristics ofthe transceivers used, as well as on dynamic parameters that account forthe specific operational state and connection of the transceivers. A lowdata rate packet connection with automatic retransmission, for example,can be influenced differently by radio frequency interference than ahigh data rate streaming video connection. A control unit in the mobilewireless communication device can monitor the wireless transceiversregularly to manage their transmissions to minimize interference whilemaintaining a desired level of quality of service for activeconnections.

FIG. 1 illustrates a mobile wireless communication device 100 thatincludes three wireless transceivers (XVCR) 102/104/106. The firsttransceiver 102 can transmit a wireless signal through an antenna 108 toa remotely located wireless system. In a representative embodiment, thefirst transceiver 102 can be a wireless cellular Global System forMobile Communications (GSM) transceiver that transmits to a basetransceiver station (BTS). As the remotely located wireless system canbe at a distance from the mobile wireless communication device 100, thetransmitted signal from the transceiver 102 can have significant powerlevels. The additional second and third transceivers 104/106 in themobile wireless communication device 100 can receive a part of thesignals transmitted by the first transceiver 102, including when thetransceivers 102/104/106 operate in different frequency bands. In arepresentative embodiment, the second transceiver 104 can be a wirelesslocal area network (WLAN) transceiver 104, and the third transceiver canbe a Bluetooth (BT) transceiver 106. All three transceivers 102/104/106can be connected to a control unit 108. While representative embodimentsusing GSM, WLAN and BT transceivers are described herein, no particularlimitation is implied for the claimed embodiments. Other wirelesscommunication transceivers can also generate self-interference amongeach other and therefore benefit from interference mitigation asdisclosed herein.

Wireless cellular transceivers can provide long range connections tocell towers located up to several kilometers away, while WLAN andBluetooth transceivers can provide medium range (less than 100 meter)and short range (less than 10 meter) connections respectively. Each ofthe transceivers 102/104/106 in the mobile wireless communication device100 can include processing units that convert digital data into analogsignals to transmit out from an antenna to remotely located wirelesssystems (not shown). The transceivers 102/104/106 can also processanalog signals received from the remotely located wireless systems intodigital data that can be further processed and output to a user of themobile wireless communication device 100. Each transceiver in the mobilewireless communication device 100 can include its own antenna systemthat radiates and captures radio frequency (RF) energy designed for oneor more specific wireless communication protocols that use certainranges (bands) of radio frequency spectrum. For example, inrepresentative embodiments, the first transceiver 102 can be a wirelesscellular GSM transceiver and can use bands of RF spectrum near 850, 900,1800 or 1900 MHz, while the second transceiver 104 can be a WLANtransceiver and can use RF bands near 2.4 or 5 GHz. The thirdtransceiver 106 can be a BT transceiver 106 and can also use a range ofRF spectrum near 2.4 GHz. The nominal “in-band” RF spectrum transmittedby the first transceiver 102 can be restricted to a range of radiofrequencies that does not overlap the RF spectrum received by the secondtransceiver 104 and the third transceiver 106; however, significant“out-of-band” RF power can be transmitted outside of the nominal RFspectrum and can impact the performance of nearby RF transceivers. Theradio frequency power transmitted by the first transceiver 102 to aremote wireless system located at a significant distance (several kmaway) from the mobile wireless communication device 100 can be output ata relatively high level and therefore include detectable transmit powerthat can leak into and interfere with reception of RF signals by thelocal transceivers 104/106.

A primary protection of the second and third transceivers 104/106 in themobile wireless communication device 100 can be isolation between thefirst transceiver antenna 108 and the second/third transceiver antennas110/114. Small form factors for the mobile wireless communication device100, however, can limit the amount of isolation possible between theantennas. Newer communication protocols, such as multiple-inputmultiple-output (MIMO) modes of IEEE 802.11n, can also use multipleantennas, such as shown for the second transceiver 104 with two antennas110/112. Multiple antennas can make physical isolation between antennasused by different communication protocols even more difficult in asmaller mobile wireless communication device 100. To minimizeinterference, the first transceiver 102 can include transmit filteringthat limits transmitted power in “out of band” frequency bands; however,the level of filtering required to eliminate interference into nearbyreceivers can be impractical to realize. For example, a GSM transceivercan transmit at levels between approximately 0 and +33 dBm “in band”(i.e. within the nominal transmit frequency spectrum), while a WLANtransceiver and a BT transceiver can detect received signals at a levelof −98 dBm and −91 dBm respectively (within their own band frequencyspectrum, which is “out of band” with respect to the GSM transceiver).Transmit frequency spectrum roll-off between the “in band” and “out ofband” frequency spectra and additional transmit filtering by the GSMtransceiver can provide more than 70 dB of isolation, but an additionalof approximately 30 to 70 dB of isolation can be required to lower theGSM transmit signal to a level that does not impact the performance ofhighly sensitive WLAN and BT receivers. Such large additional isolationcan be difficult to achieve in mobile wireless communication deviceswith relatively small form factors.

FIG. 2 illustrates several different frequency bands that can be used bythird generation (3G) GSM and UMTS (Universal Mobile TelecommunicationsSystem) communication protocols. GSM can operate in four distinct pairsof frequency bands at approximately 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz. Eachpair of frequency bands near 850 and 900 MHz include a first 25 MHz bandfor communication from the mobile wireless communication device 100 to aBTS in the “uplink” direction and a second 25 MHz band for communicationto the mobile wireless communication device 100 from the BTS in the“downlink” direction. Each 25 MHz frequency band can be further dividedinto 124 separate frequency channels having a nominal bandwidth of 200kHz each. When transmitting to a BTS, a mobile wireless communicationdevice 100 can periodically send bursts of radio frequency energy bymodulating a frequency carrier in one of the 124 uplink frequencychannels. Third order harmonics of the transmitted GSM uplink signal canfall within the 2.4 GHz frequency band that spans a bandwidth ofapproximately 85 MHz used by the WLAN and BT transceivers 104/106 in thesame mobile wireless communication device 100. (A third order harmonicof a transmit signal centered at 825 MHz can be centered at 3×825=2475MHz.) The third order harmonics of the GSM uplink signal can besufficiently high to interfere with reception of WLAN or BT signals inthe WLAN/BT transceivers. (Common WLAN communication protocols include802.11b/g/n that use the 2.4 GHz band and 802.11a/h/n that use the 5 GHzband as indicated in FIG. 2.) As with a GSM 850 transmitter, higherorder harmonics can be generated by transmitters in the GSM transceiver102 (or a UMTS transceiver) that use frequency channels in the GSM 900,GSM 1800 and GSM 1900 frequency bands. For example, seventh orderharmonics of GSM frequency channels near 825 MHz and third orderharmonics of GSM frequency channels near 1800 MHz and 1900 MHz caninterfere with WLAN signals using the 5 GHz frequency band. (7×825=5775MHz, 3×1800=5400 MHz, 3=1900=5700 MHz). FIG. 3 illustrates examples inwhich several different higher order harmonics generated by GSM/UMTSbands can interfere with reception of signals in the 2.4 GHz WLAN/BTfrequency band and in the 5 GHz WLAN frequency band.

FIGS. 4 and 5 provide additional specific illustrations of interferencethat can be generated by a GSM transmitter into co-located Bluetooth andWLAN receivers in a mobile wireless communication device 100. The GSM850 uplink frequency band 402 can include 124 different RF channels,each RF channel centered at a different carrier frequency and having anominal bandwidth of 200 kHz. A GSM transmitter outputting energy on thefrequency channel centered at 824.2 MHz can produce third orderharmonics 404 having a nominal bandwidth of 600 kHz (three times wider)centered at 2472.6 MHz (three times higher in frequency). These thirdorder harmonics can be significantly lower in power than the primaryfrequency band of the GSM 850 transmit signal (due to a combination oftransmit frequency roll-off, transmit filtering and radiated powerloss), but the third order harmonics can be comparable or higher inpower than Bluetooth signals received in the 2.4 GHz band 406 from aremote wireless accessory device.

The Bluetooth communication protocol specifies 79 independent RFchannels, each RF channel spaced 1 MHz apart from 2402 MHz to 2480 MHz.A Bluetooth transmitter can frequency hop between the 79 differentchannels on successive transmission bursts, thereby providing a measureof frequency diversity that avoids continuous interference transmittingat a fixed frequency. Only for a fraction of transmit time can theBluetooth transmitter use each RF channel, and thus transmissions onother RF channels can be received free from that particularinterference. As shown in FIG. 4, the third order harmonics 404 of theGSM 850 transmit channel can interfere with Bluetooth channels at 2472and 2473 MHz. The Bluetooth transceiver 106 can observe thisinterference over time and adaptively avoid using an RF channel thatreceives such interference; however, Bluetooth transmissions receivedbefore adaptively moving away from these RF channels can be corrupted. Asystem that marks the Bluetooth RF channels prone to interference as“unsuitable” for communication based on an estimation of theinterference that can be generated by the GSM transmitter (for example,before the Bluetooth receiver detects the interference) can provideimproved performance in mobile communication devices that use both GSMand Bluetooth transceivers simultaneously. Anticipating thatinterference can occur between transceivers in the same mobile wirelesscommunication device and mitigating the potential interference before itoccurs can increase throughput and stability of RF reception. As shownin FIG. 4, The GSM third order harmonics 404 can also interfere with aportion of the 802.11b/g/n frequency band 408 that occupies the 22 MHzwide frequency range between 2451 MHz and 2473 MHz.

As illustrated by FIG. 5, higher 7^(th) order harmonics of a GSMtransmit signal can produce a “7 times” wider bandwidth interferencesignal 504 that can interfere with wireless local area network protocolsthat use the 5 GHz frequency band. The GSM 850 channel at 824.2 MHz canproduce a seventh order harmonic 504 at 5769.4 MHz with a bandwidth of1400 kHz. The IEEE 802.11a/h/n protocol specifies a 20 MHz region ofbandwidth between 5755 MHz and 5775 MHz that can include 64 differentparallel RF sub-channels, each occupying 312.5 kHz of bandwidth. The 64RF sub-channels can be transmitted simultaneously using an orthogonalfrequency division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation scheme. The 1400 kHzwide seventh order harmonics 504 from the GSM 850 transmit signal caninterfere with five of these parallel sub-channels in the 5 GHz WLANfrequency band. Unlike the individual Bluetooth sub-channels that can beselectively disabled, all of the 64 parallel sub-channels in the802.11a/h/n transmit spectrum can be used simultaneously. To avoidhigher order harmonic interference from the GSM transmitter, the802.11a/h/n connection can shift all sub-channel frequencies entirely toa different 20 MHz wide band of spectrum. (For example shift from usingthe 5755 to 5775 MHz frequency band to using the 5735 to 5755 MHzfrequency band.) Thus, a relatively narrow band of interference (1400kHz wide) from a GSM transmitter (200 kHz wide) can result in anundesirable non-use of a large band (20 MHz wide) of wireless networkradio frequency spectrum, most of which did not receive interference.

FIG. 6 illustrates two mobile wireless communication devices 602/608that can communicate using multiple RF communication protocols inrepresentative typical use scenarios. Mobile wireless communicationdevice 602 can connect to a base transceiver station 606 through aGSM/UMTS link 612 and simultaneously connect to an accessory device 604through a Bluetooth link 614. The GSM/UMTS link 612 can be used for realtime voice communication, and the Bluetooth link 614 can be configuredto operate in a “synchronous connection-oriented” (SCO) mode tocommunicate the voice signals to and from the accessory device 604. TheBluetooth link 614 can also be configured to operate using an “advancedaudio distribution profile” (A2DP) to communicate audio signals with theaccessory device 604. The Bluetooth SCO or A2DP link 614 can typicallybe used for time sensitive data transfer, such as for a voice orreal-time audio connection, and no error correction or re-transmissioncan be applied. Thus the Bluetooth SCO or A2DP link 614 from theaccessory device 604 can be susceptible to higher order harmonicinterference 620 generated by the GSM/UMTS 612 link at the mobilewireless communication device 602. Interference into a Bluetoothreceiver in the mobile wireless communication device 100 can beperceived by a user as audible noise in the real time voicecommunication.

Performance of the Bluetooth SCO or A2DP link 614 between the mobilewireless communication device 602 and the accessory device 604 can bemeasured using a standardized audio quality metric known as a “meanopinion score” (MOS) or can be estimated by a simulation known as aperceptual evaluation of speech quality (PESQ) score. MOS values andPESQ scores can be represented on a scale from 1 (worst) to 5 (best)with an acceptable quality value set at a certain threshold, e.g. >3.7can be considered adequate. An automated assessment of audio qualityunder different interference scenarios between two transceivers in themobile wireless communication device 602 can be tested. Differenttransmit carrier frequencies and transmit power levels for the GSM/UMTSsignal and different path losses for the Bluetooth SCO or A2DP signalcan be assessed for a given mobile wireless communication device designto determine the extent of RF interference between the transceivers. Themobile wireless communication device 602 used for handheld voicecommunication can be relatively small in size, and thus the transmitterfor the GSM/UMTS link 612 can be close to the receiver for the BluetoothSCO or A2DP link 614, thus prone to interference.

The multi-functional mobile wireless communication device 608illustrated in FIG. 6 shows two different possible interference pathsthat can typically occur between different transceivers in the device.As with the handheld mobile wireless communication device 602, themobile wireless communication device 608 can communicate with the basetransceiver station 606 through a GSM/UMTS link 612. The GSM/UMTS link612 can cause higher order harmonic interference 620 with a Bluetoothconnection 616 to an accessory device 610, e.g. a keyboard, and to an802.11 wireless local area network connection 618 to a wireless device622, such as a WLAN access point. The Bluetooth connection 616 can use a“human interface device” (HID) profile with an asynchronousconnectionless link (ACL) in place of the Bluetooth SCO or A2DP link 614shown for the mobile wireless connection device 602. The Bluetooth HIDlink 616 between the keyboard accessory device 610 and the mobilewireless communication device 608 can be tested for higher orderharmonic interference 620 from transmissions by the GSM/UMTS link 612 bycounting the number of incorrectly received data packets, or similarlythe number of keystrokes missed. The performance of the Bluetooth HIDlink 616 can be tested using different Bluetooth transmit power levels(e.g., to simulate different distances between the mobile wirelesscommunication device 608 and the accessory device 610) and differentGSM/UMTS transmit power levels against a reference Bluetooth HIDconnection with no interference present. A desired performance level ofthe Bluetooth HID link 616 when interference occurs can be based on athreshold determined by comparing against performance in which there isno interference.

FIG. 7 illustrates a representative method 700 to mitigate interferencebetween a transmitter and a receiver that use different wirelesscommunication protocols in different radio frequency bands co-located inthe same mobile wireless communication device 100. In step 702, themobile wireless communication device 100 determines if a first wirelessconnection that uses a first frequency band is active. It can be desiredthat a minimum level of performance can be achieved when using the firstwireless connection in the presence of interference into the firstfrequency band. If there is no wireless connection in the firstfrequency band, then after a delay of T seconds in step 710, the methodcycles to repeat step 702 monitoring for a first wireless connection. Ifthere is a first wireless connection in the first frequency band, thenin step 704 the mobile wireless communication device 100 determines ifthere is a second wireless connection using a second frequency band thatis also active. The first frequency band used by the first wirelessconnection and the second frequency band used by the second wirelessconnection can be separate non-overlapping frequency bands. In arepresentative embodiment, the first frequency band can be at a higherfrequency than the second frequency band, and higher order harmonicsfrom at least a portion of the second frequency band can overlap with atleast a portion of the first frequency band. If both the first andsecond wireless connections are active, then in step 706, the mobilewireless communication device 100 can estimate if the second wirelessconnection's transmit signal out from the mobile wireless communicationdevice 100 can impact the performance of receiving and decoding signalsinto the mobile wireless communication device 100 that use the firstwireless connection.

The evaluation of the performance impact of the second wirelessconnection's transmitter into the first wireless connection's receivercan be based one or more different criteria. The evaluation criteria canbe relatively static, such as based on a given physical design andplacement of radio frequency components in the mobile wirelesscommunication device 100, or dynamic, such as based on the operatingcharacteristics of a specific first and second wireless connection.Examples of static evaluation criteria include the amount of radiofrequency antenna isolation between the transmitter using the secondfrequency band into the receiver using the first frequency band and thesensitivity of the first frequency band's receiver. The antennaisolation can be based on the design and performance of the componentsused and their physical placement relative to one another in the mobilewireless communication device 100. The sensitivity of the firstfrequency band's receiver can be determined by the component's inherentnoise floor and the signal processing capability available to extractreceived signals in the presence of interfering noise. A standardBluetooth protocol can require a receiver sensitivity of at least −70dBm; however, some current Bluetooth receivers can achieve better than−90 dBm sensitivity. The performance criteria can depend on standardsrequirements or on actual designs (or a combination of both).

The criteria by which to evaluate interference can also include anamount of transmit power and a type of modulation being used by thetransmitter in the second frequency band. These transmissioncharacteristics can affect the power spectral density level (height) andnominal bandwidth (width) of the primary lobe of transmit spectrum aswell as of the amount of higher order harmonics that can result ininterference for a receiver using the first frequency band. The width ofthe interference spectrum can be estimated for different higher orderharmonics, each of which can fall into a different range of frequencies,with the width of the interference being proportional to the “order” ofthe harmonics being evaluated. The potential impact of interference tothe first frequency band's receiver can also depend on how the secondfrequency band is used. Intermittent transmission in the secondfrequency band can have a different performance impact than a continuoustransmission, and certain applications can determine the transmissiontype. Similarly the performance impact of the interference can depend onhow the first frequency band is used. Certain connections can be moresensitive to interference than others or require a different level ofperformance. For example, a real time streaming video connection canrequire a high performance level as an error can be clearly noticeableto a user of the connection and re-transmission opportunities can belimited. A file transfer protocol connection with a high level of errorprotection, error checking and re-transmission without real timeconstraints can require a lower performance level. Thus how the firstwireless connection is used can influence the interference evaluationcriteria.

If, in step 706, the mobile wireless communication device 100 determinesthat the second wireless connection that transmits in the secondfrequency band can impact the performance of the first wirelessconnection receiving signals in the first frequency band, then themobile wireless communication device 100 can change the first wirelessconnection in at least a portion of the first frequency band.Interference can be received in a narrow portion of the first frequencyband, and those frequencies susceptible to interference can be avoidedfor communication on the first wireless connection. Thus some bands offrequency can be deleted from use, at least temporarily, while thesecond wireless connection is active and interfering with transmissionson those frequencies. Alternatively, the mobile wireless communicationdevice 100 can shift the frequency band used by the first wirelessconnection to a completely different set of frequencies less susceptibleto interference from the transmitter that uses the second frequencyband.

If the mobile wireless communication device 100 determines in step 706that the second wireless connection's transmit signal does not impactthe performance of the first wireless connection, then the mobilewireless communication device 100 in step 712 can determine if anyportion of the first frequency band was previously changed. For example,a portion of the first frequency band can now be available for the firstwireless connection to use, if the second wireless connection'stransmitter has changed in which frequencies it transmits. Certainfrequencies can be clear from interference presently, even though theywere previously impacted. In step 714, the mobile wireless communicationdevice 100 can take advantage of the improvement in performance in thefirst frequency band to change the first wireless connection. Portionsof the first frequency band previously blocked can be recaptured toincrease the available bandwidth for transmissions in the firstfrequency band.

In step 710, after testing for performance impacts and changing use ofthe first wireless connection, the mobile wireless communication device100 can wait a period of T seconds before cycling back to repeat theinterference evaluation. The amount of delay (T) can depend on thepowered state of the mobile wireless communication device 100. Forexample, if the mobile wireless communication device 100 is connected toan AC power supply, then the frequency of evaluation can differ fromwhen the mobile wireless communication device 100 is powered solely byan internal battery supply. To conserve power consumption when batteryoperated, the mobile wireless communication device 100 can reduce thefrequency of evaluation cycles by increasing the value of the delay (T).

FIG. 8 illustrates a representative embodiment of the interferenceevaluation and mitigation method shown in FIG. 7 when the first wirelessconnection uses a Bluetooth communication protocol and the secondwireless connection uses a wireless cellular (e.g. GSM or UMTS)communication protocol. In steps 802 and 804 respectively, the mobilewireless communication device 100 determines whether the Bluetooth andwireless cellular connections are active. If the mobile wirelesscommunication device 100 is simultaneously transmitting on the wirelesscellular connection and receiving on the Bluetooth connection, theninterference between the connections can occur. In step 806, the mobilewireless communication device 100 evaluates if harmonics of the primarytransmit band of the wireless cellular connection's uplink to the basetransceiver station impacts transmissions in the Bluetooth frequencyband. Different values for m (order of harmonics) can be evaluated fortheir potential performance impact on frequencies in the Bluetoothfrequency band. If certain frequencies of the Bluetooth frequency bandcan be impacted in performance by the wireless cellular connection, thenthe mobile wireless communication device 100, in step 808, can markthose frequencies as “bad”, i.e. not available for use, in an adaptivefrequency hopping map.

As described earlier, Bluetooth can transmit on any of 79 differentfrequencies, typically hopping among a subset of 20 of these frequenciesfor successive transmission bursts. Not all frequencies are thereforerequired in a Bluetooth connection, and the Bluetooth adaptive frequencyhopping map can determine which frequencies are used. The adaptivefrequency hopping map can be updated periodically to account forchanging conditions for transmission and reception on the Bluetoothconnection. The evaluation of interference can be repeated every Tseconds as shown by step 810. If the mobile wireless communicationdevice 100 determines in step 806 that no interference can be incurredin the Bluetooth frequency band by higher order harmonics of thewireless cellular uplink, then the mobile wireless communication device100 can examine the adaptive frequency hopping map in step 812. Certainfrequencies in the adaptive frequency hopping map can have been marked“bad”, i.e. unsuitable for communication, based on a previous wirelesscellular interference evaluation cycle. The formerly “bad” Bluetoothfrequency channels can be marked as “good” thereby recapturing bandwidthfor Bluetooth transmission and reception. In some instances, not allfrequency channels can be cleared in step 814, as some frequencychannels can be marked as “bad” for reasons other than interference fromthe wireless cellular connection.

When determining whether the wireless cellular connection can interferewith the Bluetooth connection in step 806, the mobile wirelesscommunication device 100 can base the evaluation on a number ofdifferent characteristics of the Bluetooth connection. For example, theinterference can depend on the power control state of the Bluetoothconnection, as the power of the received signal at the mobile wirelesscommunication device 100 can vary. The evaluation can also depend on thenumber of Bluetooth frequency channels available for transmission. If alarge number of Bluetooth frequency channels are already marked as“bad”, then the threshold for interference can be set higher to ensure aminimum number of Bluetooth frequency channels remain available. TheBluetooth connection state, such as whether the connection is activelytransmitting versus in an inquiry, page or sniff mode can also influencethe threshold for interference, as active connections can be more proneto an impact in performance due to interference. As mentioned above, theBluetooth connection can use different packet types, ACL or SCO, whichcan affect the level at which interference impacts performance.Similarly the interference impact evaluation can depend on the specificBluetooth profile used by the Bluetooth connection. Audio connectionscan require a higher level of performance than a keyboard connection forexample. Any of these different criteria can be considered alone or incombination when determining if the wireless cellular connection canimpact the performance of the Bluetooth connection.

FIG. 9 illustrates a representative embodiment of the interferenceevaluation and mitigation method shown in FIG. 7 when the first wirelessconnection uses a wireless local area network (WLAN) communicationprotocol and the second wireless connection uses a wireless cellular(e.g. GSM or UMTS) communication protocol. In step 902, the mobilewireless communication device 100 determines if the WLAN connection isactive. If not, then the mobile wireless communication device 100 waitsT seconds in step 912 before repeating the cycle. If the WLAN connectionis active, then the mobile wireless communication device 100 determinesin step 904 whether in the wireless cellular connection is active. Ifnot, again the mobile wireless communication device delays T seconds instep 912 before repeating. If both the WLAN and wireless cellularconnections are active then interference between them can occur.

In step 906, the mobile wireless communication device 100 evaluates ifthe current WLAN channel in use can be impacted by uplink transmissionson the wireless cellular connection. As with testing for the performanceimpact of wireless cellular into Bluetooth connections, the evaluationof interference by the wireless cellular into WLAN connections candepend on a number of characteristics of the wireless connections in usesuch as wireless cellular transmit power levels, wireless cellularmodulation type and WLAN modulation type (e.g. direct sequence spreadspectrum WLAN can be less susceptible to interference than OFDM). Theperformance impact of interference can also depend on the specific WLANconnection state (e.g. whether data is being transferred), quality ofservice (QOS) mode, and the sensitivity of the WLAN receiver. As alsodescribed for Bluetooth connections, the mobile wireless communicationdevice 100 can determine the cycle time for evaluation of interference(value of T) based on the powered state (battery or AC) of the mobilewireless communication device 100 and on the amount of reserve energystored in the battery is available.

If the performance of reception through the current WLAN channel can beimpacted by interference from the wireless cellular transmissions, thenthe mobile wireless communication device 100 can determine how to changethe radio frequency band used for the wireless local area networkconnection. In step 908, the mobile wireless communication device 100determines if the WLAN connection is in “ad hoc” mode, in which case acommunication device on either end of the WLAN “ad hoc” connection canrequest changes to the WLAN communication link. An “ad hoc” WLANconnection can be regarded as a form of “peer to peer” communication. Ifnot in “ad hoc” mode, then the mobile wireless communication device 100in step 914 determines if proprietary communication is possible with aWLAN partner on the other side of the WLAN connection. If the WLANconnection is in “ad hoc” mode or “proprietary” communication ispossible, then the mobile wireless communication device 100 can requestin step 910 that the WLAN partner move to a different frequency channel.The new frequency channel can be less impacted by performance, andtherefore using the new frequency channel can mitigate the effect ofinterference from the wireless cellular connection into the WLANchannel.

If the WLAN connection is not in ad hoc mode and if no proprietarycommunication exists between the mobile wireless communication device100 and the WLAN partner, then typically the mobile wirelesscommunication device 100 cannot shift the frequency channels used by theWLAN connection. The choice of which frequency channels to use can becontrolled by the WLAN access point rather than by the client mobilewireless communication device 100. The mobile wireless communicationdevice 100 can, however, in step 916 determine if a second WLAN partnerexists within communication range that uses a WLAN frequency channelthat can be less performance impacted than the current WLAN frequencychannel by interference from the wireless cellular connection. If so,then in step 918, the mobile wireless communication device can connectto the second WLAN partner (e.g. can form a connection with a differentWLAN access point). The cycle of evaluating for interference can then berepeated with the newly connected WLAN partner.

Various aspects of the described embodiments can be implemented bysoftware, hardware or a combination of hardware and software. Thedescribed embodiments can also be embodied as computer readable code ona computer readable medium for controlling manufacturing operations oras computer readable code on a computer readable medium for controllinga manufacturing line used to fabricate thermoplastic molded parts. Thecomputer readable medium is any data storage device that can store datawhich can thereafter be read by a computer system. Examples of thecomputer readable medium include read-only memory, random-access memory,CD-ROMs, DVDs, magnetic tape, optical data storage devices, and carrierwaves. The computer readable medium can also be distributed overnetwork-coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code isstored and executed in a distributed fashion.

The various aspects, embodiments, implementations or features of thedescribed embodiments can be used separately or in any combination. Theforegoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specificnomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the invention.However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specificdetails are not required in order to practice the invention. Thus, theforegoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present inventionare presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formsdisclosed. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art thatmany modifications and variations are possible in view of the aboveteachings.

The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and its practical applications, to therebyenable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention andvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

1. A method of mitigating interference in a mobile wirelesscommunication device, the method comprising: estimating a performanceimpact to signals received in a first frequency band by a firsttransceiver of the mobile wireless communication device through awireless local area network connection with a first wireless local areanetwork partner device from signals transmitted by a second transceiverof the mobile wireless communication device through a wireless cellularconnection; changing the wireless local area network connection to use asecond frequency band based on the performance impact estimation; andrepeating periodically the estimating and changing while the wirelesslocal area network and wireless cellular connections are active.
 2. Themethod as recited in claim 1 wherein a periodicity of the repeatingdepends on the method by which the mobile wireless communication deviceis powered and the amount of stored power available in the mobilewireless communication device.
 3. The method as recited in claim 1wherein higher order harmonics of transmissions in a third frequencyband of the wireless cellular connection output by the secondtransceiver overlap at least a portion of the first frequency band ofthe wireless local area network connection received by the firsttransceiver.
 4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the activewireless local area connection operates in an ad hoc mode and furthercomprising: requesting the first wireless local area network partnerdevice to use the second frequency band instead of the first frequencyband.
 5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein a proprietarycommunication mode exists between the first transceiver in the mobilewireless communication device and a partner device over the wirelesslocal area network connection and further comprising: requesting thefirst wireless local area network partner device to use the secondfrequency band instead of the first frequency band.
 6. The method asrecited in claim 1 further comprising: estimating a performance impactto signals received in the second frequency band by the firsttransceiver of the mobile wireless communication device by signalstransmitted by the second transceiver of the mobile wirelesscommunication device through the wireless cellular connection; andmoving the wireless local area network connection from the firstfrequency band with the first wireless local area network partner deviceto the second frequency band with a second wireless local area networkpartner device.
 7. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein estimatingthe performance impact to signals received by the first transceiverthrough the wireless local area network connection by signalstransmitted by the second transceiver through the wireless cellularconnection depends on a power level of signals transmitted by the secondtransceiver, an amount of radio frequency antenna isolation between thefirst and second transceivers, and a receiver sensitivity requirement ofthe first transceiver.
 8. The method as recited in claim 7 whereinestimating the performance further depends on the modulation type of thewireless cellular connection.
 9. The method as recited in claim 1wherein estimating the performance impact to signals received by thefirst transceiver through the wireless local area network connection bysignals transmitted by the second transceiver through the wirelesscellular connection depends on a connection state of the wireless localarea network connection, and a quality of service mode of the wirelesslocal area network connection.
 10. A mobile wireless communicationdevice, comprising: a first transceiver that receives signals through awireless local area network connection; a second transceiver thattransmits signals through a wireless cellular connection; and a controlprocessor coupled to the first and second transceivers, wherein thecontrol processor mitigates interference in the mobile wirelesscommunication device by: estimating a performance impact to signalsreceived by the first transceiver from signals transmitted by the secondtransceiver; changing the wireless local area network connection to usea second frequency band based on the performance impact estimation; andrepeating periodically the estimating and changing while the first andsecond wireless connections are active.
 11. The mobile wirelesscommunication device as recited in claim 10 wherein a periodicity atwhich the control processor repeats the estimating and changing dependson the method by which the mobile wireless communication device ispowered and the amount of stored power available in the mobile wirelesscommunication device.
 12. The mobile wireless communication device asrecited in claim 10 wherein the first frequency band of the wirelesslocal area network connection used by the first wireless transceiverdoes not overlap a third frequency band of the wireless cellularconnection used by the second wireless transceiver, and higher orderharmonics of transmissions in the third frequency band of the wirelesscellular connection output by the first transceiver overlap at least aportion of the first frequency band of the wireless local area networkconnection received by the second transceiver.
 13. The mobile wirelesscommunication device as recited in claim 10 wherein the controlprocessor estimates the performance impact to signals received by thefirst transceiver through the wireless local area network connectionfrom signals transmitted by the second transceiver through the wirelesscellular connection using a power level of signals transmitted by thesecond transceiver, an amount of radio frequency antenna isolationbetween the first and second transceivers, and a receiver sensitivityrequirement of the first transceiver.
 14. The mobile wirelesscommunication device as recited in claim 10 wherein the controlprocessor estimates the performance impact to signals received by thefirst transceiver through the wireless local area network connectionfrom signals transmitted by the second transceiver through the wirelesscellular connection using on a connection state of the wireless localarea network connection, and a quality of service mode of the wirelesslocal area network connection.
 15. Computer readable medium for tangiblystoring computer program code executable by a processor for mitigatinginterference in a mobile wireless communication device comprising:computer program code for estimating a performance impact to signalsreceived by a first transceiver of the mobile wireless communicationdevice through a wireless local area network connection from signalstransmitted by a second transceiver of the mobile wireless communicationdevice through a wireless cellular connection; computer program code forchanging the wireless local area network connection to use a secondfrequency band based on the performance impact estimation; and computerprogram code for periodically repeating the estimating the performanceimpact and changing the wireless local area network connection while thewireless local area network and wireless cellular connections areactive.
 16. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 15 furthercomprising: computer program code for estimating an amount ofinterference received by the first transceiver in the first frequencyband based on a power level and modulation type of signals transmittedby the second transceiver over the wireless cellular connection, and anamount of radio frequency antenna isolation between the first and secondtransceivers; and computer program code for estimating the performanceimpact of the interference based on a receiver sensitivity requirementof the first transceiver.
 17. The computer readable medium as recited inclaim 15 further comprising: computer program code for estimating theperformance impact of interference received by the first transceiverfrom signals transmitted by the second transceiver based on a connectionstate of the wireless local area network connection, and a quality ofservice mode of the wireless local area network connection.
 18. Anapparatus for mitigating interference in a mobile wireless communicationdevice, the apparatus comprising: means for estimating a performanceimpact to signals received in a first frequency band by a firsttransceiver of the mobile wireless communication device through awireless local area network connection with a first wireless local areanetwork partner device from signals transmitted by a second transceiverof the mobile wireless communication device through a wireless cellularconnection; means for changing the wireless local area networkconnection to use a second frequency band based on the performanceimpact estimation; and means for periodically the estimating andchanging while the wireless local area network and wireless cellularconnections are active.
 19. The apparatus as recited in claim 18 whereina periodicity of the repeating depends on the method by which the mobilewireless communication device is powered and the amount of stored poweravailable in the mobile wireless communication device.
 20. The apparatusas recited in claim 18 wherein higher order harmonics of transmissionsin a third frequency band of the wireless cellular connection output bythe second transceiver overlap at least a portion of the first frequencyband of the wireless local area network connection received by the firsttransceiver.
 21. The apparatus as recited in claim 18 wherein the activewireless local area connection operates in an ad hoc mode and furthercomprising: means for requesting the first wireless local area networkpartner device to use the second frequency band instead of the firstfrequency band.
 22. The apparatus as recited in claim 18 wherein aproprietary communication mode exists between the first transceiver inthe mobile wireless communication device and a partner device over thewireless local area network connection and further comprising: means forrequesting the first wireless local area network partner device to usethe second frequency band instead of the first frequency band.
 23. Theapparatus as recited in claim 18 further comprising: means forestimating a performance impact to signals received in the secondfrequency band by the first transceiver of the mobile wirelesscommunication device by signals transmitted by the second transceiver ofthe mobile wireless communication device through the wireless cellularconnection; and means for moving the wireless local area networkconnection from the first frequency band with the first wireless localarea network partner device to the second frequency band with a secondwireless local area network partner device.
 24. The apparatus as recitedin claim 18 wherein the means for estimating the performance impact tosignals received by the first transceiver through the wireless localarea network connection by signals transmitted by the second transceiverthrough the wireless cellular connection depends on a power level ofsignals transmitted by the second transceiver, an amount of radiofrequency antenna isolation between the first and second transceivers,and a receiver sensitivity requirement of the first transceiver.